Northwestern gets $35M over next 3 years for football program

Northwesternfootball's push to be competitive financially in the Big Ten has received an adrenaline shot, as the school announced Tuesday that the program has received a commitment to a $35 million football-focused gift over the next three years.

The gift comes from the family of Liz and Dick Uihlein, and the donation is intended for holistic football success -- including recruiting support and broader program needs -- as the school enters a "new era."

According to a news release from Northwestern, the gift will help "student-athlete development, operational priorities, recruiting, and strategic investments designed to position Northwestern Football for sustained success in the Big Ten and on the national stage."

The move comes at a time when Northwestern has been attempting to catch up financially to its Big Ten peers with a flurry of significant moves. This fall, the school is set to debut the new Ryan Field, a state-of-the-art stadium that cost more than $850 million. (That was privately funded through the Ryan family, which has had an outsized philanthropic impact on the athletic department and university.)

"We are so grateful for Pat and Shirley Ryan's contributions to Northwestern and Chicago and want to follow their lead," Liz and Dick Uihlein said in a statement. The statement added: "As multigenerational Chicagoans, we love this city and want to see it thrive. To us, Northwestern University is Chicago. Chicago loves sports and we need Wildcat Football to be competitive. We are pleased to support the university as it enters an exciting new era."

Northwestern has had one winning record in the Big Ten since reaching the Big Ten title game in 2020. That came in coach David Braun's first season as head coach in 2023, as he took over after the controversial dismissal of university stalwart Pat Fitzgerald.

Northwestern is not close to the league's biggest spenders in football, and this recent flurry of moves shows an energized commitment to be more competitive in an era when spending on talent tends to lead to success. That includes the hiring of longtime college and NFL coach Chip Kelly as the school's offensive coordinator.

A gift this large that is specifically for football is rare in college sports. It comes at a time when academic-focused private schools such as Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Northwestern have figured out ways to thrive in this era. Northwestern president Mung Chiang pointed out that Northwestern is the only school in one of the two top conferences -- the SEC and Big 10 -- that's also a top-10-ranked university.

"We are deeply grateful to the Uihlein family for their extraordinary generosity and commitment to Northwestern University," athletic director Mark Jackson said in the release. "Their support will help us continue building a program that delivers an exceptional student-athlete experience while competing at the highest level of college football."br/]